


And all in war with Time for love of you

by abrokenpieceoftruth



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, in which the doctor actually pulls off a little romance, the wedding of river song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 19:46:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6623800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abrokenpieceoftruth/pseuds/abrokenpieceoftruth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With all the stopping and starting of the universe, the Doctor realizes a very important event got erased. And in the process of correcting it, he can fix another of his mistakes as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And all in war with Time for love of you

It was the Doctor who first made the connection. Or, rather, of the two of them, it was the Doctor for whom a connection needed to be made. A part of River had always known—she had just never been bothered. These sorts of things happen when you're a time traveller, especially when you travel with the Doctor.

But it had bothered him. And so, three days after their wedding—or three hundred and twelve, the way she saw it—the Doctor landed outside her cell at Stormcage in a tailcoat. Idly, River wondered if it was the same one he wore—would wear?—the first time she kissed him, and the first time she killed him.

"Ooh, don't you look dapper," she teased. "Got a date?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He sauntered up to her cell door and unlocked it. "Come along, Dr. River Song, we are going to get married."

Her enthusiasm was cooled by surprise, confusion, and hesitation—after all, she didn't know when he was. She decided on a safe response: "Most people ask first."

"I'm pretty sure," he said, sweeping her out of the dank prison and into the TARDIS, "that's only for people who haven't already gotten married."

"Oh, so you've done that, then?"

"Yes!" He spun around the console, flicking switches and spinning dials in a way that would enchant any new companion, but which she could see wasn't going to pull them any further than the time vortex—and not very gently, if he didn't make some adjustments.

"Then why, may I ask—" they lurched out of time, and she sighed internally. "—are we doing it again?"

He turned to her with that glint in his eye that meant he was trying to be clever. "Because it never happened."

River rolled her eyes. "It did happen, sweetie; I was there—although if you keep up this mystery act, I'm going to start wishing it hadn't."

"We got married in a universe that only existed because time had stopped," he explained. "When we got married, the real universe restarted and the other universe ceased to exist, ergo it never existed, ergo our wedding never happened." He smirked with self-satisfaction.

"Alright, _technically_ you're right," admitted River, though she gave him a withering look that took his ego down a few notches. "But what does it matter? You and I both remember it, ergo it _did_ happen."

"But not in this universe."

"So?"

"So, River Song, I want to be married to you in every universe, especially this one, so we are going to get married."

He was back to smug, leaning on the edge of the console like there wasn't a force in the world that could knock him off balance. She would have to fix that. "Fine," she agreed, "but on one condition: you have to ask."

He blinked; a crack in his armor. "But . . ."

"You didn't ask the first time," she forestalled. "It just happened. Which was fine, of course—it was an urgent situation. But this time, you have to ask."

For a moment, he could only stare. Then he shook himself back to reality and started patting down his jacket. "Yes, of course, you're right," he said, not meeting her eyes. "I should have asked. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, sweetie," River assured him. "Just ask me now."

"No, no, hold on, I need . . . I need . . . I know!" Abruptly eager, he leapt forward and ran past her into one of the connecting corridors. "I'll just be a moment," he yelled behind him. "Don't move!"

"Where are you going?" she called, but he was already too far away to answer. She groaned and leaned back against the railing. "He could just do as I ask," she grumbled to the TARDIS. "Is he like this with you, too?" The machine rang with amusement.

It was quite a few moments before he returned, but when he did he had entirely dropped his all-knowing persona, and he approached her with excitement, not secrets, glimmering behind his eyes.

"Ready, then?" she prompted, but he was not to be hurried. He carefully took her left hand in his, knelt in front of her, and from his pocket produced the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The band was silver, with intricate carvings in Gallifreyan too small to make out. The stone was somehow even more enchanting: the deepest of blues, flecked with pinpricks of silver and white. It seemed to hold the universe inside it.

"River Song," the Doctor pronounced softly. "Will you marry me?"

Her smile was not that of joyful surprise or youthful thrill, but of a final puzzle piece clicking into place and a slow journey reaching its long-anticipated destination. "Yes," she replied. "Now and forever, yes."

He slipped the ring on her finger, hand shaking with excitement or nervousness, she couldn't tell which. When he released her, she immediately brought it up for closer inspection. "Where did you get it, Doctor?"

"It was my grandmother's," he told her.

"What does it say?" She picked out one of the circles and smiled. "You taught me this one—it means _love_."

The Doctor hummed a confirmation. "And this one is _bliss_ , and this is _eternity_."

"You'll have to teach me to read the rest sometime." She snuggled lovingly into his shoulder.

"Yes," he promised. "But!" He spun away, his joviality returned. "First, we have a wedding to get to." He turned back to his instruments and with a free hand indicated to one of the other doors. "Wardrobe—hang a left, down the stairs, and—"

"And third door on the right, I know."

"I pulled out a dress for you. Go put it on and come back up in—" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn, gold pocket watch."—fifteen minutes."

"Oof," River said. "Fifteen minutes to get ready for my wedding? I'll do my best." Walking away, she called over her shoulder "If it's the green one, I'm not wearing it!" The Doctor's laugh followed her out.

***

The dress was not green. It was not white either. It was purple, almost blue, the color of the sky just after dusk. The smooth silk hugged every curve, trailing behind her for at least three feet but leaving her arms bare. It was exquisite—she almost couldn't believe that the Doctor had picked it out himself.

She did have some choice in her attire. Of the three pairs of shoes he laid out for her, she selected the black ones, and it took her five minutes to pick out an assortment of silver jewelry from the sizable collection. After reapplying her lipstick, she was ready.

When she made her way upstairs, she found the console room empty and the door open. Curious, she stepped outside and found herself in a verdant grove. A setting sun filtered through blossoming trees, and flower petals of every color covered the dark green grass everywhere except for a path beginning at her feet. Her eyes followed the trail to its end: at two flowering trees bowed into an arch, under which the Doctor, smiling, waited.

River took a step down this aisle and on her right appeared a blushing child holding out a crown of periwinkle flowers. When she put it on, the girl disappeared into a chorus of giggles from the trees.

She continued her walk in reverent silence until she stopped, blissful, in front of her husband.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello," he answered.

There was silence but for the sounds of the forest.

"Where are we?" River asked.

"Can't you guess?" the Doctor countered.

River looked around. All she could see was the trees and the purpling sky. The children were hidden somewhere, she knew, and she could hear water rushing somewhere in the distance.

Water . . . in the forest . . .

_The only water in the forest is the river._

"It's the Gamma Forest," she answered with a smile. "It's where I got my name."

The Doctor smiled back, but said nothing.

After a moment's pause, River broke the silence. "Is someone going to marry us?"

The children laughed again. River peered through the trees, but didn't catch a glimpse.

"We don't need anyone else," the Doctor said.

"Then, what are we waiting for?"

He pulled out his watch again. "For the right time."

"And just what time is that?"

"He snapped the watch shut and looked up at her, the self-satisfied smirk returning. "5:02pm on the 22nd of April, 2011."

River's hearts stopped. Somewhere across the universe, she was killing him. "My love . . . why?"

He ran a gentle thumb down her cheek. "Because you didn't kill me, dear—you married me." Slowly, he reached down to take her hands. "I shouldn't have made you watch."

"But you haven't—"

"But I will." He sighed. "There's no avoiding it; it's already happened for me. But when I do, I don't want you to think about being in the spacesuit—I want you to think about this moment, right here." He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it with a tenderness he rarely showed. "I brought you there to show you that I forgive you. But you don't need forgiveness, River. You need to forget."

Tears were streaming down her face, but she managed a smile. "I'll try, Doctor."

The last rays of the sun were fading from sight, and the Doctor took both of her hands in his. "There's one more thing I have to tell you," he said.

"Oh?"

He smiled. "If you're going to be my wife, River, you're going to need to know my name."

Leaning close, he breathed it into her ear. Immediately, her face lit up, and she pulled him in for a kiss. With every breath she took, she whispered it back, imprinting it on her soul. They finally drew apart to the sound of laughter—the children had returned to shower them in flower petals. River held her husband in an embrace and thought about love and bliss and eternity.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy anniversary, dears!


End file.
